Crutch



T. LAMB 0c&. 15, 19460 GRU'I'CH Filed June 25, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l u ATTORNEY T. LAMB Oct. 1.5, 1946.

\ CRUTCH Filed June 25, 1945 2 Shets-Sheet, 2

' INVENTQR &/

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CRUTGH Thomas Lamb, New York, N. Y. Application June 23, 1945, Serial No. 601,220

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to crutches.

It is an object of the invention to provide a crutch comprising a plurality of adjustable, demountable parts, which, by proper assembly and adjustment may provide the support required by a patient for various degrees of disability, or during successive stages of convalescence.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a crutch which may be easily and quickly adjusted to accommodate the needs of patients of different heights, arm lengths, etc.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the cane unit, the lower end being partly in section to show the adjustable feature.

Figure 2 is a view of the cane handle, partly in section, and showing the manner of attachment to a crutch unit.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of said handle showing a support member in section.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are detail views of the arm rests of the upper or lower arm support unit.

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of the joints of said unit.

Figure 9 shows the cane unit combined with a shoulder support unit.

Figures 10 and 11 show the cane unit combined with an upper or lower arm support unit, Figure 10 showing the adjustment for lower arm support, and Figure 11 showing the adjustment for upper arm support.

Referring to the drawings, the complete crutch comprises three basic units, (1) a cane l, (2) a shoulder support 2, and (3) an upper or lower arm support 3. The cane I may be usedalone, or it may be used interchangeably in combination with the shoulder support 2 or the upper and lower arm support 3 in the manner and for purposes hereinafter described. The interchangeable units 2 and 3 are hereinafter referred to as crutch units, since by combining either unit with the cane unit a specialized crutch results.

The cane unit comprises a shaft 4 and a handle 5 secured to the upper end thereof and projecting substantially at right angles thereto. The shaft 4 is preferably tubular and made of light metal such as an aluminum or magnesium alloy, and the handle 5 may be threaded into the upper end of the tubular shaft 4 or may be permanently secured thereto as by welding. The l The lower end of the shaft 4 is threaded internally to receive an externally threaded rod 6 carrying arubber cushion 1 on its lower end, a lock nut 8 being provided to hold the rod in any desired position of adjustment, whereby the length of the cane may be varied as desired to accommodate the needs of patients of different heights. If desired, the exposed threaded portion of the rod 6 may be covered and concealed by a tubular ferrule 9.

The shoulder support unit 2 comprises what may be described as a bow-shaped member III, also preferably tubular and made of light metal such as an aluminum or magnesium alloy. The lower end of said member is flattened and is secured to a collar H which surrounds the shaft 4 and may be tightened on the shaft by means of a set screw [2. The upper end of said member is also flattened and bent to form a triangular shaped support I3 for a shoulder piece [4. The said shoulder piece may be of conventional design or may be made as described in my prior application Serial No. 516,729, filed January 1, 1944 and patented December 11, 1945, No. 2,390,544. The central portion of the member 10 is straight and is provided with a series of apertures l5 drilled therethrough to receive a bolt I6 anchored in the handle 5 and carrying a wing nut H by means of which the member [0 may be tightened against the handle 4. Preferably, the end of the handle is grooved at It to provide a seat for the member ID.

Thus, by loosening the set screw l2 and by removing the wing nut I l, the position of the shoulder support unit may be adjusted with respect to the cane unit as desired to accommodate the needs of a particular patient. By tightening the set screw l2 and by replacing and tightening the wing nut H, the crutch support unit is held firmly in place, the bolt l6 preventing any slipping between the units. In this connection, it is to be noted that since the adjustment apertures 15 are located in the straight portion of the member ID, the shoulder piece I4 is always in proper alignment with the handle 5 under all conditions of adjustment.

The upper or lower arm support unit is used interchangeably with the shoulder support unit, and is designed for use in those cases where the disability of the patient is not such as to require shoulder support. The upper or lower arm support unit comprises a plurality of tubular sections 2|, 22, 23 and 24 connected by adjustable joints. The lower section 2! is reversely curved, and the lower end of this section is flattened and secured to a collar ll of the same construction as the collar II. The collar is tightened against the shaft 4 by a set screw 12' in the same manner as before described. The upper section 24 carries a pair of arm rests. 25 and 26 of any suitable 3 shape and size, said arm rests being pivotally mounted on the section 24 by mean of a pin or bolt 2'1. A second pin or bolt 28 passes through slots 25 in the upper portions of the arm rests, thus permitting adjustment of the arm rests to accommodate the arm of a particular patient. A set screw 39 i provided to tighten the arm rests in any desired position of adjustment.

The adjustable joints between the sections 21,

22, 23 and 2 are similar and comprise plugs 3i and 32 fitting the ends of the tubular sections, each plug having a knurled face 33 engaging a similar knurled face of the adjacent plug, with a bolt 34 and wing nut 35 serving to hold the sections in the desired position of adjustment.

Each of the sections is provided with one or more apertures 36 drilled therethrough to receive the bolt !6 previously described, and the unit is tightened in any desired position of adjustment by the Wing nut I! as previously described.

Figure and 11 illustrate two different positions of adjustment in which the unit is adapted to provide lower arm support (Figure 10) or upper arm support (Figure 11) In Figure 10 the bolt it passes through apertures in section 23, while in Figure 11 the bolt l6 passes through apertures in section 22. In either case there is opportunity for further adjustment to accommodate the individual patient. When arranged for lower arm support as in Figure 10, the section 24 may be tilted on its joint to provide a favorable angle for arm engagement. Likewise, when arranged for upper arm support as in Figure 11, both sections 23 and 23 may be tilted on their respective joints to provide a favorable angle for arm engagement and also to provide elbow clearance.

With the combination of parts previously described, it will be observed that the crutch may be easily adapted to various degrees of disability and may be adapted to changing degrees of disability during the convalescence of a patient. Thus, a patient suffering from a broken leg, for example, usually requires shoulder support such as provided by the unit 2 when connected to the cane unit 5 as shown in Figure 9. As the patient improves, however, the need for shoulder support decreases, and upper or lower arm support may be sufficient and may be provided by substituting the unit 3 for the unit 2. Later, after further improvement, even arm support may be dispensed with, in which case the unit 3 may be removed from the cane so that the cane may be used alone in the final stages of convalescence.

One of the important features of the shoulder support unit is the use of a single vertical support for the shoulder piece, which said vertical support is connected to the rear end of the cane handle. Not only does this construction reduce the weight of the crutch, but also, being at the rear of the handle, the vertical support is partiaily concealed by the arm and is so inconspicuous as to be scarcely noticeable. This is an important consideration to many patients who may be sensitive regarding their condition and appearance.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention:

1; A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of sa d shaft, a deniountable crutch unit, means for securing the lower end of said crutch unit to said shaft, and means for securing an and surrounding said shaft, and means for securing an intermediate portion of said crutch unit to the free end of said handle.

3. A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of said shaft, a demountable crutch unit, means for securing the lower end of said crutch unit to said shaft, a bolt projecting from the free end of said handle, said crutch unit having a plurality of apertures adapted to be engaged by said bolt, and a nut for tightening said unit on said bolt against the free end of said handle.

4. A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of said shaft, a demountable crutch unit, a collar secured to the lower end of said crutch unit and surrounding said shaft, a set screw for tightening said collar around said shaft, a bolt projecting from the free end of said handle, said crutch unit having a plurality of apertures adapted to be engaged by said bolt, and a nut for tightening said unit on said bolt against the free end of said handle.

5. A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of said shaft, a demountable crutch unit including a bow-shaped member, a shoulder piece at one end thereof, a collar at the other end thereof and urrounding said shaft, and means for securing an intermediate portion of said bowshaped member to the free end of said handle.

'6. A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of said shaft, a demountable crutch unit including a plurality of jointed sections, an arm rest secured to one end section thereof, a collar secured to the other end section thereof and surrounding said shaft, and means for securing an intermediate section to the free end of said handle.

7. A crutch comprising, in combination, a cane unit-including a shaft and a handle at the upper end of said shaft, a demountable crutch unit including a plurality of jointed sections, an arm rest secured to one end section thereof, a collar secured to the other end section thereof and surrounding said shaft, means for securing an intermediate section to the free end of said handle, said arm rest comprising a pair of adjustable arm engaging members pivotally mounted on said one end section, and means for tightening said members in any desired position of adjust-- ment.

8. A cane adapted for use as a unit in a demountable crutch assembly, said cane comprising a shaft, a handle at the upper end of the shaft extending substantially at right angles to said shaft, and a bolt anchored in said handle and projecting beyond the free end of said handle.

9. A cane adapted for use as a unit in a demountable crutch assembly, said cane comprising a shaft, a handle at the upper end of the shaft extending substantially at right angles to sad shaft, a bolt anchored in said handle and projecting beyond the free end of said handle, and means on the lower end of said shaft for adjusting the effective length of said shaft.

THOMAS LAMB. 

